Steve Thomas
| birth_place = Stockport, England | ntl_team = CAN | draft = Undrafted | career_start = 1984 | career_end = 2004 }} Steve Thomas (born Stephen Anthony Thomas on July 15, 1963) is a retired British-born Canadian ice hockey right winger who played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Detroit Red Wings. He is currently an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Playing Career Steve went undrafted after his junior career but signed as a Free Agent with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He began his NHL career in the 1984–85 season. He played junior hockey for the Toronto Marlboros of the OHL (he was the last original Toronto Marlboro to make it to the Maple Leafs of the NHL). Prior to playing in the NHL, Steve won the Dudley "Red" Garrett Memorial Award in 1985 as the top rookie in the American Hockey League while playing for the St. Catharines Saints. He developed into a bona-fide NHL goal scorer with Toronto Maple Leafs, scoring 35 goals in the 1986–87 season. He was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks that summer and played for Chicago until 1991–92 and was then traded to the New York Islanders. It would be with the Islanders that Steve would have his best years. In the 1992–93 season, he scored 37 goals and 50 assists for a career-high of 87 points. During the playoffs when Islanders superstar Pierre Turgeon was injured by a Dale Hunter check in the first round, Steve and teammate Ray Ferraro emerged as the unlikely heroes of the Islander's playoff run. Both made the top ten in postseason scoring as the Islanders made their Cinderella run to the Prince of Wales Conference finals. The next year, he set a career-high in goals with 42. Steve had second stints with the Leafs (1998–2001) and Chicago (2001–2002) before moving to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. His career looked to be over with Chicago, however the trade to the Ducks instantly rejuvenated his career. After scoring just 4 goals with the Blackhawks, he had 10 goals in the final 12 games of the season with the Ducks and added 4 more goals in the postseason as his team made it to their first Stanley Cup Finals. The Ducks had wanted to keep Steve for 2003-2004 as well, but they ran out of money and his absence negatively affected his former linemates. Despite being considered a great playoff player, Steve was never able to capture a Stanley Cup in his career. He came close in 2002–03 when the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim made it to the Stanley Cup Finals (the first of his and the team's), but they lost to the New Jersey Devils in a hard fought 7 games. Steve signed a one-year contract (2003–2004) with the Detroit Red Wings before the 2004-05 NHL lockout and proved effective playing on a line with youngster Pavel Datsyuk and Brett Hull. At one stretch in the season, he had 10 points in 13 games and enjoyed more ice time than he initially expected due to injuries among the Red Wings' roster. The Red Wings finished first in the league, but lost in the second round of the playoffs to the Calgary Flames. After the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Steve was invited to the Toronto Maple Leafs tryout in 2005, but he was cut before the regular season started. Post-Playing Career In November of 2006, Steve began working at Plain 'n Simple in Toronto, a promotional sportswear and event company. He later became the assistant/mentor coach for the St. Michael's Buzzers, a Jr. A team in Toronto. He plays golf at the National Golf Club and plays to around a 4 handicap. On September 3, 2010, Steve was named player development consultant for the Tampa Bay Lightning, working with former Red Wings teammate Steve Yzerman, who serves as Tampa Bay's general manager. Under this position, he monitors and oversees all of Tampa Bay's prospects. Career Statistics Personal Life Steve was born in Stockport, England, but was raised in Markham, Ontario, Canada where he attended Markham District High School. As he often coasted in school on his hockey skills, he once had a teacher tell him to "smarten up Steve, hockey can only take you so far." He has two children: a daughter, Lauren Thomas and a son, Christian Thomas, who plays ice hockey for the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL. Christian was drafted 40th overall by the New York Rangers in the 2nd round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. In his third OHL season in 2010–11, Christian finished second in the league with 54 goals and sixth in the league in scoring with 99 points, while also tying for the league lead in power play goals. Steve and Christian Thomas are the first father\son combination to each score 50 goals in a single OHL season. Steve appeared in the 1986 hockey-themed movie "Youngblood" alongside Rob Lowe and Keanu Reeves. In one scene, he is memorably towel-whipped by Patrick Swayze. He also appeared in the fourth episode of the fifth season of CBC's "Dragons' Den" pitching "Zeo Green," a company of which he is a partial owner. Category:1963 births Category:Undrafted National Hockey League players Category:Toronto Maple Leafs players Category:Chicago Blackhawks players Category:New York Islanders players Category:New Jersey Devils players Category:Mighty Ducks of Anaheim players Category:Detroit Red Wings players Category:St. Catharines Saints players